Playing piece for game



Dec. 4, 1956 J. MODICA, JR 2,772,512

PLAYING PIECE FOR GAME Filed March 23, 1955 INVENTOR J'OSEPH MOD/CA Jr:

ATTORNEYS United States Patent PLAYING PIECE FOR GAME Joseph Modica, In, Garden City South, N. Y., assignor to Tudor Metal Products Corporation, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 23, 1955, Serial No. 496,296

4 Claims. (Cl. 46-1) This invention relates to a playing piece for a game and the invention has particular reference to a playing piece mounted on laterally extending lineal supporting members for effecting traveling movement of the play ing piece over a playing area of a game board upon vibratory movement of the game board.

An object of the invention is to provide a playing piece having laterally extending lineal supporting members of sufiicient stiffness to support the playing piece and which are sufficiently flexible to permit of the flexing of the end portions thereof.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a playing piece of said character in which the supporting members depend from the under side of the playing piece in rearwardly inclined relation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a playing piece consisting of interengaging parts adapted to clamp a strip of thin material therebetween with the ends of the strip protruding from the bottom face of the playing piece to provide supporting lineal edges.

With the foregoing and other objects in view reference is now made to the following specification and accompanying drawings in which the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a plan of the playing area of a game adapted to be played with playing pieces constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of one of the playing pieces.

Fig. 3 is an under side view thereof.

Fig. 4 is an under side view of the playing piece with one of the sections removed.

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the section removed from Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the strip of material which forms the lineal supporting edges.

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view taken approximately on line 77 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken approximately on line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional view taken approximately on line 9-9 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings the playing piece 10 may represent any desired character for use in playing a game in which the pieces advance over a playing area from one or the opposite sides of a playing field. As illustrated the playing piece 10 has a figure mounted thereon simulating a football player adapted for playing an indoor game of football on a game board 11 having a playing field 12 on which the playing pieces move over the face thereof by a vibratory motion imparted to the game board.

The playing piece 10 is provided with laterally extending depending lineal supports 13 adjacent the front and rear which are of sufficient length and flexibility to effect movement of the playing pieces over the playing field 12 by the vibratory action of the playing board 11. The supports 13 consist of the downturned end portions of a thin strip of sheet material 14 which may be composed of paper stock, cardboard, synthetic plastics, thin metal and the like. In order to retain the strip 14 in position with the ends thereof depending from the base 15, the base is formed with a laterally extending recess 16 in the under face thereof and with vertical recesses 17 in the opposite longitudinal side walls. The recesses 17 extend from the top face of the base through the bottom face thereof and are slightly longer than the recess 16. The ends of the recesses 17 are defined by angularly disposed rearwardly extending end faces 18 and 19 and the ends of the recess 16 are defined by angularly disposed rearwardly extending end faces 20 and 21.

Removably fitting the recesses 16 and 17 is a section 22 which is of general U-shaped formation in cross section having side flanges 23 and 24 which project beyond the Web portion 25 thereof whereby the web portion fits the recess 16 with the flanges 23 and 24 snugly fitting the recesses 17. The end. edges 26 of the flanges 23 and 24 conform to the angular formation of the end edges 18 and 19 of the recesses 17 while the end edges 27 of the web 25 conform to the angular formation of the opposite ends 20 and 21 of the recess 16. The web 25 -is provided with a central opening 28 which snugly receives a shank 29 depending from the base 15 centrally of the recess 16. The strip 14 is also provided with an opening 30 which is adapted to receive the shank 29 when the strip is positioned between the base 15 and section 22. The web 25 of the section 22 is slightly shorter in length than the length of the recess 16 whereby the ends of the strip 14 will project from between the ends of the web 25 and the ends 20 and 21 of the recess 16 with the end portions 13 of the strip depending from the under side of the base as shown in Figs. 2 and 7 of the drawings.

The section 22 is adapted to be releaseably secured on the base 15 of the playing piece 10 and for this purpose the flanges 23 and 24 thereof are provided with inwardly directed projections 32 at their upper edges while the base 15 medially of the recess 16 is notched to provide cam edges 33 in the opposite sides thereof. Above the cam faces 33 the said side walls are notched to provide inwardly directed angular faces 34 with which the projections 32 interfit. In applying the section 22 to the base 15 the projections 32 are forced against the cam faces 33 so as to cam the flanges 23 and 24 outwardly to thereby spread the flanges apart whereby the section 22 may be forced into the recesses 16 and 17 with the projections 32 overlying the faces 34, the resiliency of the flanges 23 and 24 functioning to impinge the projections 32 against the faces 34 to thereby retain the section in position on the base 15.

What is claimed is:

1. In a playing piece for a game, said playing piece including a base having a laterally extending recess in the under face thereof, a section of general U-shaped formation in cross section having a web portion fitting said recess and side flanges provided with inwardly directed projections adapted to engage over the base for securing said section in position thereon with the web portion disposed in said recess, and a flat strip of flexible material secured between said base and the Web portion of said section with the end portions of said strip projecting from said recess at the ends of the web portion and depending from the under side of the base for supporting the playing piece on the end edges of the strip.

2. In a playing piece for a game, said playing piece including a base having a laterally extending recess in th'e'lin'der face the r f, a section of general U-shaped fofmatiofi'iii'bi'os'sfietion having awespohion fitting said recess and flanges at the opposite sides of said web portion, said.: flanges and said base having intereiigage'able means for" securing said section in position on said base with the'web pf ti on disposed in said recess, and a flat strip of materialfsecured between said base and the web portion of saidsec tionwith the endportions of said strip projecting from said recess at the ends of the web portion and'depe'ndingfrom the under side of the base, and said. strip]beingfoffsufiicient stiffness to support the playihg pie'ce on 'th'e end edges of the strip.

3; In a playing piece for a game, said playing pie ce,

including a base hang laterally extending recess. in the under facethereof, a" section of general U shaped formation in crosssection having a web portion fitting said recess and flangesat the opposite sides of said web portion, said flanges" and said base having interengageable means for securing said section in position on said base with the web, portion disposed in said recess, a flat strip offlex'ibleniat ial secured between said base and the'web portion area-1a section with the end portions of saidstripprojectingfrom said recess at the ends of the web portion and. depending from the under side of the base for supporting'theplaying piece on the end edges of the stripfsaid section and said strip having sides of said web portion, said side portions and said.

base'having; iriiterengageable means for securing. said section inpositionon saidf base with the web portion disposed in said recess, and a flat strip of "flexible material curedetwe n. aid base. and. the. web portion of said section with the end portions of said strip projecting from said recess between "the" web "portion and said inclined faces and depending from the under side of the base in rearwardly directed angular relation for securing the playing piece. on the end edges of: the strip.

References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,189,987 Kellems Feb. 13, 19,40 2,220,516 Foute Nov. 5, 1940 2,572,412 Wharton Got. 23, 1951 2,700,251 Bertaux Jan. 25, 1955v 2,712,120 Cochran June 28, 1955. 

